To all you young detailers

[rgcurtis]

Re: To all you young detailers

Detailing is a word that has various definitions depending on who you talk to. Guys, like Tuck, Presidential, ClearlyCoated, Lavish and Bounty do major corrective surgery on vehicles to correct everything. Others just simply wash, clay, clean, and wax with a good engine and interior cleaning. The point is if you do not have the equipment yet, you might need to stick to the basics to raise the capital in order to get into the heavy corrective surgery. The funny thing is the average person is willing to pay about $50-$100 for a good wash, wax, engine and interior cleaning. The other thing is if you do a good job on a few cars and your price is reasonable then people will spread the word about you. Also ALWAYS make sure your ride is SPOTLESS and fully detailed to show off your work. Finally, scout your location for other detailers; see what they are charging and see what their work is like. If you are going to do all of it by hand be competitive to the other detailers in the area. Good luck and I hope it all works out. Remember what cardriver said "It takes money to make money."

[240SX]

Re: To all you young detailers

Thanks cardriver,

I'm in the process of designing a flyer and plan to put some "package deals" on the flyer. I will also offer "a-la-carte" detailing, but would prefer to leave that out of the flyer. Just wanted to know if you guys think these prices are reasonable.


Mini - Detail — $35
Exterior: Includes hand washing all exterior surfaces and hand drying.
Interior: Includes quick dusting and dressing of dashboard and console, windows are cleaned.[/CENTER]
Express Detail — $85
Exterior: Mini-Detail plus: tire/wheel dressing and application of RainX on all windows.
Interior: Mini-Detail plus: vacuuming, slight spot removal, all leather/plastic/vinyl is cleaned.[/CENTER]
Super Detail — $170
Exterior: Express Detail plus: removal of paint contaminants and Carnauba waxing.
Interior: Express Detail plus: meticulous cleaning and conditioning of entire interior.[/CENTER]

I plan to wash using Mother's soap, seeing as I have 8 jugs laying around. For interior dusting its just going to be a static or MF cloth. I will use #40 as a dressing. For the express detail and the super detail, its going to be a Woolite/Water mix as opposed to just dusting. I have Hot Shine Tire Spray as a tire dressing and Invisible Glass for all the glass cleaning stuff.

[Calais]

Re: To all you young detailers

I am also 17 and I hope to start detailing for dollars this summer. I intend to pick up a G110 by early July and a few more bottles of Meg's products. I've been getting better and better at detailing as I practice on my car once a week. I also plan to hand out 3 complimentary details (one to each of my two uncles and one to a friend from the car show) and word-of-mouth should do the rest (also some pictures). I want to also maybe hand out some kind of poster or business card or something. Just drive around and show off your detailing skills by showing off your results. Briefly explain your methods.

(I do a Dawn wash, clay, five step wash, polish, wax) I want to charge ~$140.

[cardriver]

Re: To all you young detailers

Did my first job over the past two days and it turned out quite nice. I undercut myself pretty hard on the pricing, but I told my boss "Get me while I can while the price is still cheap, because the price will only get higher as I improve!"
I'm doing it hourly for now. I spent 12 hours on his BMW, and he gave me $120. Him and his wife were impressed, and now I have his wife's car lined up, plus two other managers' vehicles from work lined up as well. Point is, word of mouth spreads, so do an outstanding job every time, and you only get one chance to make a first impression . Do a ton of research (you never stop learning) before you actually begin, too.

I also spent about $700 on supplies and a DA to get me started. I work full-time and am in school F/T as well, and this hobby keeps me going when I'm free. It takes money to make money! Good luck.

Hourly works for me, because depending on the job (size of vehicle, condition of vehicle, how thorough of a detail, all other factors considered), I can propose a length of time to have the vehicle (very minimum 7 hours), and it's easy to calculate the amount of money for the job based on the hours spent.

[240SX]

Hey guys,

I'm 17 and looking to get started in detailing as a quick way to make some summer spending money. I don't know how to wax or polish (work in progress), but thats not really one of my issues right now and I don't think theres that many people in my area that will pay for that. So to all the young guys out there:

How do you guys advertise your business?

How many cars do you usually get in a given week/weekend?

What products do you use (Meg's Pro stuff or just regular Consumer Line)?

Do you impose an extra charge on bigger cars?

Any tips/tricks on how to improve efficiency without hiring somebody?

Thanks alot